A Proven Way to Get Things Wrong
by David Brewster
Published on this site: August 30th, 2005 - See
more articles from this month
And so we had that sinking feeling again. We had been promised
simplicity. A simple desk, at a bargain price, ordered by
phone and delivered to our door. It even came with free assembly
- no need for me to break out either screwdriver or sweat.
What could be easier? Alas, the reality didn't match the promise.
It wasn't until after the man had come and put the thing
together that we realised the problem. They'd delivered the
wrong desk. Hence the sinking feeling: the realisation that
we would have to enter the 'labyrinth of undoing' in which
we all find ourselves when trying to right a supplier wrong.
So what did go wrong? No doubt, back at the warehouse, this
is the question in everyone's inbox. Somewhere along the road
between our original request and the product being dropped
off, our order took a misguided shortcut.
The details are likely to remain foggy, but the future is
predictable. After much finger-pointing, backside-protecting
and buck-passing, attention will focus on 'the procedure'.
The procedure will be 'fixed' by the addition of another check.
Perhaps the creation of another form. Another vain attempt
to block off the offending shortcut.
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
Since early in the 20th century we've been trying to eliminate
human error in this way. We've put emphasis on documented
procedures and rigid processes in order to build 'think-proof'
systems. The theory goes that if the need to think is removed,
it becomes impossible for the wrong thing to be thunk.
Yet this approach doesn't work. 100 years on, the most basic
mistakes - like delivering the wrong desk - are still being
made by even the most sophisticated companies.
The problem is this. Getting a job done - delivering our
desk, for instance - requires navigating a process much like
navigating a city. The checks and balances which characterise
'think-proofed' processes act like speed humps, chicanes and
roadside barriers along the route. They keep things on track
but make the going awfully slow.
Meanwhile, those wending their way along this route are under
pressure: time pressure. (A frazzled driver delivered our
desk at 8.00pm, ending what had clearly been a very busy day.)
Sometimes, the only way to get the job done on time is to
find shortcuts. Most times these shortcuts work, but occasionally
they don't.
How much better it would be if procedures were designed like
a well made road. Nice and wide, thereby making the job easy
to do. And replete with big, clear signs showing the way,
thereby making the job easy to get right, with, dare I say
it, just a little thinking.
It's not that you don't need systems. But your systems need
to be simple.
While you're thinking about that, I'll wait for someone to
bring the right desk.
David Brewster is a Simplicity expert, writer, speaker
and advisor to business. He helps managers and business owners
succeed by finding ways to simplify the way they work, the
products they create and the way they communicate. His client's
work more effectively and have more, happier customers. More
articles, downloads and resources are available at his website:
http://www.businesssimplification.com.au
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